December and January Goals
Look at me, I’m such an overachiever! I already have my January goals!
I’m in the final days of completing my school projects. A goal I’ve been striving for since 2007 will be complete: earn my Master’s part time while working full time. I switched schools, moved cross country, took 9 months off, and accelerated my pace this last quarter… still, I’m about to do it. Almost there. I remember mapping out how long it would take me and thinking how far away the end seemed. And it is (almost) here.
But. All that I can think about is: “What next?!!? A sprint tri? Take up surfing? Train for a marathon!? Max out my 401k! Take a photography class! Learn French! What next!? I need a challenge!”
I’m not even done yet! This needs to stop. I mean, first, I just need to focus at the task at hand. But second, I need to chill. Just for awhile. I want to give myself a little time to explore things without committing to any specific challenge.
Thus I present my December 2009 and January 2010 goals:
- RELAX
That’s it. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a ton of stuff I want to do and will get done. I want to go on a backpacking trip around new years (3-day weekend!) and I want to go hiking ASAP (next weekend, probably). I want to start up my clothing 2010 project I’ve been thinking about, and I want to get a pedicure and clean out my car. I want to run more and practice more yoga and read and write and swim and cook and bake and oh, plan that wedding . . .You get the idea.
I’m not good at this whole “relax” stuff! At the very least, I want to do it all 100% pressure free. Finance wise, I’m going to keep my 401k where it is at and strive to save as much as I can. But I’m not going to put a number on it.
I’m putting off any further 2010 goals until I feel less insane.
Stacking Pennies 
Hahaha! You tricked me! =)
I love that goal.
It’s good to make goals, but after your big accomplishment this month it will be nice for you to relax with no pressure! Congratulations 🙂
Sometimes that is the best thing you can do for both yourself and those around you.
i really understand that feeling… when i was near the end of law school, i couldn’t imagine NOT having ‘finishing law school’ as my biggest goal. it takes a while to decompress after that last final… i think a few months with no goals is a GREAT idea. 🙂 congrats!
Oh man you have worked so hard and you’re so close! I can’t imagine what it’s like working full time and going to school also. I bet it will be hard to relax after such a tough schedule! Good for you for taking time for yourself. You definitely deserve it!!
Heh! It seems your relax is like all the rest of our relax. By relax e mean take the pressure off and do fun “for ourselves” things.
I would seriously try to stay in the moment until you’ve completed your biggest goal of all. Sometimes when the end gets near we look towards an unknown future and have a need to fill it in. What happens is we take our eyes off the goal at hand and suddenly is gets a little farther away because our attention is diverted.
RELAX, but stay in the moment and really focus on finishing strong! Beat of Luck!
Most pf bloggers are an ambitious lot. You and others have got me thinking about my 2010 goals. I used to make a lot of resolutions and actually made many of my goals. Nowadays, my goals are not so lofty so I don’t know if I’ll post them on my blog. I don’t know if buying more colorful shoes qualifies as a resolution…
You definitely deserve to relax a bit!
You sound exactly like me!
Congratulations on being almost done and I hope you have fun on your well deserved break. You should definitely get a massage or two, as well as a mani/pedi for all of your hard work.
Relax! What a great idea. 🙂
@all – thanks so much for all the encouraging comments!
@chloe – maniped, yes! I still am unable to splurge on a massage. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I just can’t fork over the money.
@Trevor – Hi! good to hear from you!
I can completely relate! I read your goals to my boyfriend and he gave me the “why don’t you try that” look!!!
Any ideas on this relaxing? I guess that would defeat the point… planning your relaxation!
I have the same trouble… i like to find new things to set goals for so I can procrastinate on the task at hand. I call it “productive procrastination”
(What do you mean my closet doesn’t NEED to be cleaned out this weekend?! Of course it does!!!)
One of the hardest parts of being young and in your 20s is not doing everything. There’s always something nagging to do. When I hear those voices that tell me I should be more productive or tackle more goals, I acknowledge I’m not working hard and I’m okay with that. It’s actually good not to be so goal oriented for a few months. It gives you time to feel out the different things you’re doing and see what you like. Sometimes it’s really nice just to be an open-ended explorer rather than an ambitious go-getter. I’m learning just sitting at home, not reading, thinking or doing is a nice way to relax. It keeps your brain from feeling overwhelmed and cluttered.
Good luck with the relaxing! I know how difficult that can be 🙂